Just before she was called up for Season 3 duty I managed to grab a few moments with one half of ArchiBeth, Alexis Slade, who has truly come to be one of my favourite ABMers. At first I thought that it was just because she had the good sense to have studied on this side of the water, but then I learnt there is a deeper affinity between us. Yes, Alexis is that coolest of all cool, she is a comic book geek! We speak the language of the uber-cool and just like all true geeks, we make no apologies for it. The more I get to know these ABMers the more I am amazed by the sheer amount of awesomeness amongst their ranks.

1.        How old do you feel?
Alexis: Most of the time, I feel exactly my age. (Edited for fear of my life)
ABMFans: Am I allowed to say your age, because you know your school chum would SHOOT ME DEAD if I told people how old she is.
Alexis: OH! No don’t then. People will figure out her age based on mine. I don’t care…but people know we were in the same class so…
ABMFans: Yeah when I told her I figured it out I got a nasty glare.
Alexis: Aww she’s too funny.
ABMFans: Yeah, it’s sort of hard to be frightened of her, which worries me even more.
Alexis: Ha ha true!

2.       What was the last dream you had?
Alexis: Oh my gosh…funny you ask. I dreamt last night that I was in a huge mansion with some of my old college friends and we were jumping on the beds and climbing the walls and sliding down the stairs. Lol soooo fun!
ABMFans: Have you seen ‘The Princess Diaries?’
Alexis: HA HA Yes! With…oh…I forget her name now…shoot…..but YES.
ABMFans: Anne Hathaway?
Alexis: Ah yes.
ABMFans: That thing where they use the mattresses to surf down the stairs, I want to do that! I’d probably break something but it’d be an awesome way to damage myself.
Alexis: Oh yeah! Well we were sliding down the railings. Lol, me too! That’s why dreams rock! You get to do things you’d probably never be able to do in real life.
ABMFans: I wish I was more lucid in dreams, so I could have more control over what I did.
Alexis: Sometimes I dream about my grandparents that have passed on or my uncle who also passed away…and you’d think it would be upsetting…but I appreciate dreams so much more now because I get to see them alive again. Talk to them, touch them. Yeah, lucid dreaming would be so cool!
ABMFans: Yeah, I’ve always thought that when you dream of someone you have no reason to have in your head it’s because they’re thinking of you too.
Alexis: Aww, I like that.
ABMFans: Like if you dream of someone you were friends with when you were five but haven’t seen since, it’s because somewhere they’re thinking of you. Which could be creepy but I try not to focus on that part.
Alexis: That’s so sweet. I like to believe that too.
ABMFans: Because why else would they be in your head you know?
Alexis: Lol, true.
ABMFans: Anyway that’s my theory.
Alexis: I like how you think!
ABMFans: Sometimes I do too.

3.       Have you got any scars?
Alexis: Yes, one. From when I had my son. I had a C section because my hips were too small to push him out
ABMFans: Gosh, he’s 10 soon. Double digits!
Alexis: Yes! It’s so exciting!
ABMFans: Growing up fast.
Alexis Slade: I know :(. That’s…not so exciting. My BABY!
ABMFans: He’ll be your baby when he’s still 50, don’t worry!
Alexis: I know it!

4.       What would the title of your autobiography be?
Alexis: “By the Skin of Her Teeth.” LOL.
ABMFans: Lol.
Alexis: OMG…that’s horrible.
ABMFans: Sometimes that’s how we get through things though.
Alexis: It’s true though…my life has been so crazy. Such a rollercoaster. I rarely did things by the book. Very mischievous all my life and always loved to stir the pot. Radical. If I had been a teen in the 60s I would have been a black panther during the week and at Woodstock on the weekends. So maybe “Free Spirit or Else!”
ABMFans: Sometimes I think it would have been awesome to live in the 60s, such a time of change.
Alexis: Oh for sure! I would have loved to be alive during that time.

5.       This should be easy given your time here, how do you take your tea/coffee?
Alexis: Extra cream…very little sugar. Half a lump lol.
ABMFans: Lol for both?
Alexis: Oh no…sorry, that’s for coffee.
ABMFans: You don’t drink tea?
Alexis: Tea, lemon and three lumps.
ABMFans: Here’s a question, do you Americans not put milk in coffee?
Alexis: I do, but I’m a big coffee girl.
ABMFans: I mean tea.
Alexis: Some do, I don’t like it though.
ABMFans: Coz when I was there they didn’t give me milk in a little pot the way they do here. I was confused.
Alexis: Oh…yeah, I mean people do put milk in their tea here….but I think it’s sort of rare…so you’d have to ask for it.
ABMFans: Very strange. You Americans really are a different race.

6.       Which celebrity would you choose to be stuck in an elevator with?
Alexis: Johnny mother f-ing Depp. Without a doubt. All day, all night in fact…don’t even try to save us….we’ll stay there forever.
ABMFans: He is a very good choice.
Alexis: Yum.
ABMFans: What’s your favourite role of his?
Alexis: Jack Sparrow.
ABMFans: Captain Jack, definitely one of his best.
Alexis: And (forget his character’s name) but Chocolat. LORD YES! Hotness. The end.

7.        Okay, given that answer this one might follow on…Favourite movie trilogy.
Alexis: The Matrix.
ABMFans: Really? I never really got past the second one.
Alexis: Oh I love those movies. I just thought it was visually really interesting, and I liked the action of course. I’m a big action movie girl. I like action over romance any day.
ABMFans: What about action romances? Like ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’ or something classic like ‘Romancing the Stone.’ Although, you may be too young for that.
Alexis: I liked ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’ Not as much as something like ‘Salt’ or ‘Wanted.’
ABMFans: ‘Wanted’ was awesome! But then I’m a comic book fan; and an Angelina Jolie one too.
Alexis: Mee toooo! Comic book fan big time!
ABMFans: Okay you just won MAJOR cool points!
Alexis: Ha ha! Yes!!! The Watchmen…super awesome! Loved the writing! But yeah, anything comic book, count me in!!!!
ABMFans: I’m so excited by this you have no idea.
Alexis: Oh Yay!!! I am happy to make you happy!

8.       What’s your superpower?
Alexis: You mean, what super power would I want to have? Based on an actual comic character or just made up?
ABMFans: Kind of, because when I asked Rach she took it to mean what power would she want, which is always good to know but I also sort of meant what do you think your actual superpower is. Like my superpower is I have this incredible knack of choosing the BEST people to have around me, and that makes me super, and is also my superpower.
Alexis: Oh nice! Okay…let’s see.
ABMFans: But I would choose the ability to freeze time.
Alexis: That would be so super cool!
ABMFans: And to control it in general, like go forward and backwards, like Hiro in Heroes.
Alexis: I would say my super power is the ability to handle difficult situations with grace.
ABMFans: You should go into politics.
Alexis: Lol, seriously ….shit gets crazy and I dance through it and come out the other side with very little damage and still smiling. At least for the most part.
ABMFans: Definitely.
Alexis: Lol.
ABMFans: Skin of your teeth.
Alexis: Exactly! Lol I swear. But if I could pick one…it would be like Rogue’s, to take on any other power and to heal.
ABMFans: Yeah, but at will though, rather than every time you touched someone. That doesn’t really work well for her.
Alexis: Right…true. Cuz that kinda made things difficult for her. So yeah, at will. That would be great!

9.       Do you have a nickname? And if you could have another one, what would it be?
Alexis: Yeah, my boyfriend calls me Shorty Bee Bop. Like from the cartoon “Cowboy Bee Bop.”
ABMFans: Yes I know it.
Alexis: I like it though…I wouldn’t change it. If I could pick another one…how about “Princess Consuella Banana Hammock.”
ABMFans: Very nice.
Alexis: Like from Friends.
ABMFans: I like it!
Alexis: I wish Phoebe from Friends was a real person…I would marry her. She’s ridiculous. I love it. Life would never be boring.
ABMFans: She was definitely the most fun in that cast. And she would sing to you.
Alexis: Of course. Smelly cat.
ABMFans: BEST. SONG. EVER.
Alexis: HA HA! Hell yeah!

10.    What’s your ringtone?
Alexis: It changes between the theme song from Dexter and the theme song from Weeds.
ABMFans: Love Weeds! I’m very behind though.
Alexis: Me too me too me too!
ABMFans: Love Mary Louise Parker in general.
Alexis: Oh no…you gotta catch up!
ABMFans: I know, but it’s like on my netflix list so I’m waiting for discs.
Alexis: And you gotta watch Dexter too!
ABMFans: Tell me about it! Michael C. Hall! I love him so much. BIG Six Feet Under fan.
Alexis: Yup…he needs to be in that elevator too! Damn it!
ABMFans: Lol it’s filling up.
Alexis: Ha ha, that’s okay baby; that is O-K! I need to watch that! That’s next on my list.

11.    Apart from family members, which one person has had the greatest influence on who you are today?
Alexis: My best friend, Ashling. I’ve learned a lot from her. She has a strength that I have always admired and there have been many times that I’ve found myself thinking of her and how she’d handle things when I’m in a rough place in life.
ABMFans: I think Rach has mentioned her, she was here in London and you guys would buy products from Lush?
Alexis: Yes, Rach is good friends with her too! We had some great times together in college.
Alexis: We would…Lush and Tesco
ABMFans: Yes, I know about Rach’s love of Tesco.
ABMFans: When I cross the water I know my life is not worth living unless I bring her crumpets from Tesco!
Alexis: Yeah, don’t forget…she will not be happy! That scary Rachael.
ABMFans: Too scary.

12.    What’s your favourite word in the English language?
Alexis: That’s hard Gemma.
ABMFans: Wait till you do the Mastermind.
Alexis: Lol….okay, I’ll say…peace. I like the meaning and I like the sound.
ABMFans: Good word.
Alexis: Why thank you :).